The invention relates to a method for displaying primary and secondary information in a motor vehicle by reproducing symbols on a display.
In the context of predicative instructions, the importance of the instruction first increases usually over the course of time or, in the context of vehicle navigation, over the distance covered. If, for example in the vehicle navigation context, an instruction is to be given that it is necessary to leave the autobahn at the next but one exit, then this instruction has low importance for the driver at first, so that it is not absolutely necessary for him to be aware of it. No later than when it is necessary to indicate and get into the right-hand lane in order to turn off does the originally secondary instruction turn into primary information which must not be overlooked.
In previously customary vehicle navigation devices, no distinction is drawn between primary and secondary information. However, in the case of warnings and monitoring displays in the motor vehicle, it is usual to arrange displays for secondary information further from the driver""s direct range of view than the displays for primary information. In addition, it is usual to accentuate primary information by conspicuous coloration or a higher level of brightness than the secondary information.
The invention is based on the problem of devising a method of the type mentioned in the introduction such that the driver can clearly see the priority of an item of information from the type of representation.
The invention solves this problem by virtue of the symbols being shown with different brightnesses according to their importance, and their brightness being changed as the importance of the information changes.
With such a display method, the conspicuousness of a display indicates the current importance of this display. In addition, the change in the brightness of the display indicates whether the information is becoming more important or is becoming less important. Since, on the basis of the method according to the invention, secondary information is displayed with a relatively low level of conspicuousness for as long as it is actually secondary information, a driver is distracted less by such information than in the case of the previous display methods. The method according to the invention is quite particularly suitable for vehicle navigation systems, because it allows turnoff instructions to be shown with a relatively low level of conspicuousness for as long as they remain non-urgent.
One particularly advantageous development of the method is that the secondary information is first shown with low brightness, is shown with a brightness increasing up to the brightness of the primary information once a high level of importance has arisen, and is then shown with constant brightness when the secondary information develops into primary information, and that the original primary information which has then turned into secondary information is faded out by means of reducing brightness.
In addition to changing the brightness of a display, its importance can also be accentuated in that, on the basis of one advantageous development of the method according to the invention, as the importance of secondary information increases, this secondary information is visualized closer to the primary information.
The method according to the invention supports various modifications. To clarify its basic principle further, an illustrative embodiment is shown in the drawing and is described below.